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There is no train from bangor. Hasn't been as far as I can remember. The farthest train along the.way is to Portland Maine or Freeport Maine with the latest Brunswick extension. Best to get to Portland and then take greyhound to bangor.

I think there is a bus to Medway and then another from Medway to Millinocket and the rest the guy from the hostel will pick you up.

DOS can give the freshest hiking advice as she finished this year but in general I like the advice of thinking about it as a string of 3 day hikes.

only did 1200 miles, but it wasn't my feet. it was my knees. many areas its like going up and down steps two at a time.

my knees too are my weak link,im hoping for the best,getting old is not for weenies.it would be nice if we started life ,then got younger as we aged.its not like it would change much were in diapers on both ends anyway.youth is wasted on the young.

i am also kind of a clean freak .what methods of keeping your gear and self clean over the long haul?i know i will stink,ive gotten used to that hiking, but cutting down on the wear your gear for 30 minutes ,and you smell like a month ago syndrome is what im looking for.

Staying reasonably clean really isn't that hard, and there's no reason for your gear to stink. It seems that some hikers just revel in developing that hiker funk and wear it like a badge of honor.

If the weather isn't absolutely horrible I bathe every evening while hiking. I strip to the waist, go to the water source, dip my quart water bottle in and pour it over my head. Refill the bottle and walk away from the water source to where I have left my little bottle of Dr Bronners and a bandanna. Put a few drops of Dr Bronners in my hand and wash my hair. A few more drops and I can wash my body. Use the bandanna to scrub a little, then use the water bottle to rinse off. Keeping my hair really short makes this a lot easier.

I also do a bit of laundry every night. Take a gallon size zip-loc bag and fill it half way with water. Add a few drops of Dr Bronners. In the summer I hike in a pair of running shorts and a light-weight synthetic shirt. One or the other of these goes into the zip-loc bag and gets smushed around to agitate. Remove the shirt or shorts and put on a rock or hang on a tree limb. Now put one dirty pair of socks in the bag and repeat. Dump out the now amazingly dirty water and refill the bag with fresh water. Rinse the shirt or shorts, then rinse the socks. The shirt or shorts will still be damp in the morning put once I put them on they will dry quickly. The socks will finish drying hanging on the back of my pack tomorrow.

Even in summer I sleep in a very lightweight set of silk long johns. They are very cool and help keep my sleeping bag or quilt clean and non-funky.

This system worked for me on my 6-month AT thru-hike and I could walk into town and stop at the diner for a meal without feeling like I was offending the sensibilities of the locals, though that first shower during a town stop was still a heavenly experience.

im getting ready to start my a t thru hike june firstish,starting pawling n y, north to katadin.take the train back to pawling,then sobo to springer.any input would be seen as kindness.

Start at Katahdin and go south, only south....if you only plan on hiking the AT once in your life, make it a REAL THRU HIKE and hike it in one direction hitting all the blazes. (not the blue or yellow ones, like many seem to do).

Originally Posted by hairbear

ive been doing some pretty hard traing for over a year, and a half now.i can cover more than what i expect to do as a daily average right now,but im unaware of how that will pan out with anything higher than the ozark mountains.plan to start slow and let my body tell me when im ready for the next gear.

1.5 years is a lot of training...you will definitely have a good chance of finishing. Most of the people I met didn't do any training. (but then again, I never saw those people after Gorham)

Originally Posted by hairbear

how much water should i feel comfortable with ,i dont want to over carry.the guys that have worked for me have all said i go a long time before drinking,but then drink 60 oz at lunch.ill be cameling up at sources.

kinda depends on the water supply/etc. Ask oncoming traffic about conditions.
this is one of those HYOH things IMO...... I always start off the day carrying 2.5L (unless I'm starting off the day with a big climb, with a confirmed water source at top/not far from top). Some will say that it's stupid to carry that much.... some may carry more.

Originally Posted by hairbear

will most of the water be on trail or off on a seperate trail.

on and off.....can't remember, but, if you "correctly" plan your camping or water stops you won't need to off trail by much to fill up.

Originally Posted by hairbear

not trying to bombard you with questions ,but what guide would be most current/useful.

AWOL guide is good, but, like others have said-there are some "flaws"

Originally Posted by hairbear

now a more personal question.if im hiking out of the bubble of other hikers,what chances might come about that i find a little comfort with a lady hiker if only just to talk?keep in mind im 50 ,and invisible to younger women.

slim to none......

Originally Posted by hairbear

got that covered ,im one of those barefoot freaks.if i have shoes on you know im at work,the rest of the time its natural feet for me.in fact in the summer i can scrub for a long time with a potato brush ,but will not get rid of the dark stain until cold weather.a person would think that this would make your shoes have no effect on your feet,but just the opposite happens for me,my feet do not like to conform to restriction.i have no point of reference would the trail be too rocky for the barefoot trek.

another one of those HYOH things..... training and saving $ / etc. and the last thing I'd want is to go home with a broken toe/foot injury because I wanted to hike barefoot. I hiked with a person wearing the five fingers--stubbed toes, hurt feet, etc. He didn't make it past Gorham. Even people with "minimalist" shoes were having foot issues.
I'd recommend a pair of trail runners at the least... maybe try a wide size if you feel they are restricting your feet.

Originally Posted by hairbear

i am also kind of a clean freak .what methods of keeping your gear and self clean over the long haul?i know i will stink,ive gotten used to that hiking, but cutting down on the wear your gear for 30 minutes ,and you smell like a month ago syndrome is what im looking for.

do laundry whenever possible.
if you go with a beard, keep it clean (somehow)
don't sleep in your hiking clothes is one way of keeping your sleeping gear clean.
I'd take out my alum stays in my pack and throw it in a front loader every couple weeks
I found that drying your socks with your clothes(in a dryer), gives your clothes a foot smell....especially when using the hiker hostel dryers.
baby wiping works well.
try not to sweat ..........especially right after laundry/shower.

Start at Katahdin and go south, only south....if you only plan on hiking the AT once in your life, make it a REAL THRU HIKE and hike it in one direction hitting all the blazes. (not the blue or yellow ones, like many seem to do).

1.5 years is a lot of training...you will definitely have a good chance of finishing. Most of the people I met didn't do any training. (but then again, I never saw those people after Gorham)

kinda depends on the water supply/etc. Ask oncoming traffic about conditions.
this is one of those HYOH things IMO...... I always start off the day carrying 2.5L (unless I'm starting off the day with a big climb, with a confirmed water source at top/not far from top). Some will say that it's stupid to carry that much.... some may carry more.

on and off.....can't remember, but, if you "correctly" plan your camping or water stops you won't need to off trail by much to fill up.

AWOL guide is good, but, like others have said-there are some "flaws"

slim to none......

another one of those HYOH things..... training and saving $ / etc. and the last thing I'd want is to go home with a broken toe/foot injury because I wanted to hike barefoot. I hiked with a person wearing the five fingers--stubbed toes, hurt feet, etc. He didn't make it past Gorham. Even people with "minimalist" shoes were having foot issues.
I'd recommend a pair of trail runners at the least... maybe try a wide size if you feel they are restricting your feet.

do laundry whenever possible.
if you go with a beard, keep it clean (somehow)
don't sleep in your hiking clothes is one way of keeping your sleeping gear clean.
I'd take out my alum stays in my pack and throw it in a front loader every couple weeks
I found that drying your socks with your clothes(in a dryer), gives your clothes a foot smell....especially when using the hiker hostel dryers.
baby wiping works well.
try not to sweat ..........especially right after laundry/shower.

thanks for posting.i started a year and a half ago at near 250,now im 210.ive gone down two pant sizes,i could go down 1 more ,but i cant get my legs into them.my pack started around 36 pounds ,now its 27 with water and 4 days of food.thats 49 pounds i shed from skin out.im a stubborn one track mind person,maybe it will pay off

Staying reasonably clean really isn't that hard, and there's no reason for your gear to stink. It seems that some hikers just revel in developing that hiker funk and wear it like a badge of honor.

If the weather isn't absolutely horrible I bathe every evening while hiking. I strip to the waist, go to the water source, dip my quart water bottle in and pour it over my head. Refill the bottle and walk away from the water source to where I have left my little bottle of Dr Bronners and a bandanna. Put a few drops of Dr Bronners in my hand and wash my hair. A few more drops and I can wash my body. Use the bandanna to scrub a little, then use the water bottle to rinse off. Keeping my hair really short makes this a lot easier.

I also do a bit of laundry every night. Take a gallon size zip-loc bag and fill it half way with water. Add a few drops of Dr Bronners. In the summer I hike in a pair of running shorts and a light-weight synthetic shirt. One or the other of these goes into the zip-loc bag and gets smushed around to agitate. Remove the shirt or shorts and put on a rock or hang on a tree limb. Now put one dirty pair of socks in the bag and repeat. Dump out the now amazingly dirty water and refill the bag with fresh water. Rinse the shirt or shorts, then rinse the socks. The shirt or shorts will still be damp in the morning put once I put them on they will dry quickly. The socks will finish drying hanging on the back of my pack tomorrow.

Even in summer I sleep in a very lightweight set of silk long johns. They are very cool and help keep my sleeping bag or quilt clean and non-funky.

This system worked for me on my 6-month AT thru-hike and I could walk into town and stop at the diner for a meal without feeling like I was offending the sensibilities of the locals, though that first shower during a town stop was still a heavenly experience.

ok another question,in controling guald i use compression shorts,this works but i hate the squeeze.are there any other options here.i use body glide and gold bond.i tried comando ,but the patch of skin between my legs rubs.